This Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence is the first ministerial meeting since the Madrid Summit in June 2022. The meeting will to a great extent focus on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For Sweden, key issues include security developments in Europe and the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

Sweden will attend several other meetings taking place in conjunction with the defence ministers meeting. The United States has called a meeting on continued support to Ukraine, Canada will host a meeting on the Arctic within the framework of the Northern Defence Dialogue, and Germany has convened a meeting in the context of the European defence development collaboration Framework Nations Concept (FNC). A trilateral meeting between Sweden, Finland and the United States is also planned.

• On Tuesday 5 July, the Accession Protocols for Sweden and Finland were signed at the North Atlantic Council (NAC). This gave Sweden and Finland invitee status, which they will have until the accession protocols have been ratified.

• Invitee status allows Sweden and Finland to participate in all NATO committees (except the Nuclear Planning Group) and virtually all aspects of NATO’s activities, but they are not entitled to vote.

• In principle, the work of invitees and full members is equally extensive.

To date, 28 out of 30 NATO Allies have ratified Sweden’s and Finland’s Accession Protocols. Hungary and Turkey are the only two countries yet to do so.

There will be time for interviews on Thursday 13 October. Contact Press Secretary Toni Eriksson for more information.